Isolation
by Wolfnight2012
Summary: Kinda dark, please blame the SPN 8x10 promo. Features Benny, Naomi, Castiel, Dean, Sam and Kevin. Not really a theory for Jan 16th's episode [highly unlikely this will happen] but yeah, my [out-of-control feels'] take on of what happens in Tom and Frayed. [The title is based on the song Isolated System by Muse.]
1. The Experiment

***Disclaimer* _I own nothing of Supernatural...this is purely fan-made... because I have way to many feels..._**

**[Anyways, its Finals week... which means alot of extra time for me(they serious give us way to much time for these tests) And guess how productive I was during my free time! Yeap, thats right... I thought about the 8x10 SPN promo... So, free time + horrible heartwrenching promo + music apparently = this... No idea... this idea just popped into my mind and I thought about it during my 20 free minutes after my test was finished, this was the result. I hope you enjoy reading it! Please let me know what you think, I love comments! =) ]**

**Isolation**

The full moon shone down on the earth casting everything in a beautiful silvery glow. Not that the vampire needed the light to see, not that it mattered much whether the moon was full or new. Not like the vampire was looking at anything anyways. Benny sat on a moss covered log, his face in his hands. That was it, it was over. Elizabeth had watched him tear out the hunter's throat. No doubt other hunters would be coming to find him… he knew hunters had their connections… It would only be a matter of time before the news reached Dean. Heck, perhaps it would be Dean himself who came after him. When it came to survival… Would Benny fight Dean? Could he fight Dean? He couldn't blend in anymore, once a hunter caught your scent, they had it for life. He also couldn't join a group of vampires, he was sure the news of his nest's slaughter was had gotten lips moving, and even if he were accepted, he wasn't about to go back to drinking people. All he could hope for was a life of solitude, alone and secluded from humans and vampires alike. Vampires were not solitary creatures.

Benny sighed, his body relaxing along with the exhale, his shoulders slumping. He stiffened at the flutter of wings; it was a loud sound, a soft and delicate sound, but with power behind the action. He swore he smelled blood, but the scent was gone so quickly he had to conclude he imagined it, focusing instead of the sound of wings. An eagle perhaps, its powerful shoulders helping its claws reach their prey before it disappeared into a burrow. He furrowed his brow, no, he could tell this thing was huge just by the sound of the wings, and that was why he stiffened. He raised his head, the drive for self-preservation keeping his body tense, the recent events making his eyes tired and less than interested in defending himself. He straightened out of his half crouch and relaxed slightly, a confused look on his face, when his eyes fell upon the angel. 'Dean's angel' he thought, remembering him well from their time in Purgatory. The angel looked very different, he was no longer dirty, he still had on the trench coat [now cleaned] but instead of white [under all the dirt] pants and a T-shirt, he had a white dress shirt, a blue tie, black slacks, black dress shoes, pretty much a complete suit, unbuttoned and un-ironed.

"Hey, hot wings" Benny said, though the term 'hot wings' was used with a hint of affection. From what he'd understood, the angel hadn't made it out. When Dean had brought him back he hadn't been with him, [he knew how inseparable those two were] and he hadn't seen the angel around ever since. He hadn't really needed any of that however; the look on Dean's face was enough. The only question now was, what was the angel doing here, how had he gotten out, when, and, did Dean know?

Benny opened his mouth, about to ask the angel just that, when the dark haired man began to tilt forward. "Whoa" Benny said, shooting up from his seat and taking a step toward the angel, though he appeared to have steadied himself. "You alright there, hot wings?" Benny asked, taking another step forward. The angel tilted his head in an awkward manner, gazing up at him. There was something about the look in his eyes, it wasn't right… He took a step towards him and stumbled, nearly falling [more like collapsing] to his knees. His stumbling brought him to a tree trunk, his shoulder slammed into it and he steadied himself, leaning on it heavily for support. He slowly straightened up and pushed away from tree trunk.

Benny found himself reaching for the angel, as if to help steady him, or to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. There was just something about him… now that he wasn't jeopardizing his escape from Purgatory… The angel looked, innocent, and in need of, not protecting per say, but similar to it. It was true that he was only slightly shorter than Benny himself, a hardly noticeable difference, but he _was_ slighter. His vessel wasn't exactly imposing. He, especially right now, had a look of pure innocence, almost child-like in a way. He remembered having to save him from the Leviathan back in Purgatory; he was less than invincible, while in Purgatory he was usually the one at the end of the line, falling a bit behind. He was starting to see why Dean was so protective of the angel… When he wanted to, the angel could sum up enough power to make most of the creatures in Purgatory tremble, but when he wasn't in a fight he looked no more dangerous that a puppy. Right now he was staring at Benny with wide blue eyes, his head slightly tilted, his eyes looked confused and his face was open, revealing most of his thoughts. He clearly had no idea what he was doing here, or where 'here' was.

The angel lifted his right arm, wrapping it around his waist, his shoulders hunched, as if he were tired. Yeah, right now he didn't even look capable of defending himself. Benny was wondering if he should call Dean when the sound of ragged breathing caused him to refocus his attention on the angel. He was nearly doubled over, clutching at his waist as it if were the only way to keep his guts in though there was no injury, no blood. His shoulders shook and his left arm came up to press against the tree trunk, his body followed, leaning to the left until his bowed head rested on his left forearm, his eyes were squeezed tight. "Dean" he whimpered softly, as if begging for help, he seemed oblivious to the world around him. There might not be blood, but he was clearly in pain, Benny strode forward, reaching for the angel's shoulder with his right hand and fishing for his cell phone with the other.

"Castiel?" Benny said, resting his hand lightly on the angel's shoulder, the angel stiffened, as if the name were jolting him awake, or as if Benny's touch burned. He pushed off the tree trunk, forcefully, clumsily, causing Benny to take a step back, before turning to face him. Benny jerked back as if slapped; he stumbled back with surprise at the look on the angel's face. It was nearly demonic. Castiel tilted his head, as if studying him, his eyes were narrowed, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a crude joke of a smile, it looked more like an attempt to bare his teeth. Benny's eyes widened, there was something so very wrong here, however…_insane_ the angel appeared the most concerning part were his eyes. They were completely blank. Yes, they were narrowed, but in the eyes themselves, it was as if the body was empty, this was only a machine, it could narrow its eyes and bare its teeth, but nothing would hide the fact that it held no life behind its eyes.

"What did they do to you?" Benny asked, referring to Purgatory. Had the Leviathans caught up with him after the portal failed to be angel-friendly? Had he just gotten out now? How had the little seraph, Purgatory's little [and only] beacon, faired with the vampire and hunter gone? Castiel jerked back as if hit with an involuntary muscle spasm. He slumped and his facial features relaxed, his mouth was slack, partially open. He continued to gaze ahead, however, unseeing. He twitched, swaying on his feet a bit. Blood began to ooze out of the corner of his left eye, as if he were crying. He blinked and the tiniest bit of awareness filtered into his blue orbs. "Naomi" he said, his mouth barely moving. His eyes shifted, gazing at Benny. Benny couldn't shake the feeling that the angel was only _half_ aware of his presence. "Naomi… no" Castiel said, his voice lower than a whisper. His body began to tremble, "No…_no, no, __**NO**_!" the angel screeched, shutting his eyes tightly. His hands flew to the sides of his head, where his slender fingers threaded into his hair, clutching it tightly. He shook his head from side to side, his face taunt, as if in pain. Benny stared at the angel for a moment, eyes wide. He was unsure of what to do, he was sure that if his heart still beat it would have stopped by now. His hand unfroze first, resuming its task to find his cell-phone. He yanked it out of his pocket and began to dial, while at the same time moving toward the angel, who had collapsed to his knees.

"I won't do it… I won't do it… I won't do it… No… no…_nononononono_" Castiel was chanting, over and over again. His eyes were now open, they stared straight ahead, wide like a deer caught in head lights, or a rabbit just as a hawk sank its claws into soft and furry flesh, its escape impossible, its death certain. He did not look frightened, that phrase did not give the expression of absolute terror on his face any justice. Unable to form words anymore, his lips simply mouth them, over and over, fast and faster. It almost seemed as if he were mouthing 'Dean, Dean, Dean, DeanDeanDeanDean_deandeandean_' over and over again, his eyes shifted rapidly from side to side. His entire body began to tremble. Benny didn't know what to do, how to help. "Hey… hot wings… Castiel" Benny tried, his voice soft and slow, as if he were speaking to a frightened horse, knowing the spooked animal might bolt at any moment. Castiel's lips were parted; he was drawing ragged breathed in through his mouth, he was rocking back and forth, though the movement looked a bit awkward because of the tremor that had overtaken his slight body. His eyes gradually focused and slid over to rest on Benny. It could hardly count as progress, however, as at the same time his quaking worsened [enough to cause his teeth to chatter] and his pale fingers clutched at dark hair harder, more frantic than before. Benny could see it was taking everything the angel had to hold himself in one piece. He couldn't help but feel a bit of protectiveness over him, he didn't appear a powerful and wrathful angel, more like an abandoned and frightened child.

"Castiel, listen very carefully" Benny spoke slowly, as if to a four year old. "What happened? Who did this to you?" he asked, placing his right hand on Castiel's left shoulder. The phone was clutched in the palm of his opposite hand. "She… she said…. But… no… I don't want to… I told her… I _told_ her… I told her no…I told her no…" Castiel began to trail off, his eyes going unfocused once more. Blood began to flow from the corner of his eye once more, as well as out his nose. Castiel's face contorted in pain, he grimaced, curling in on himself. The blood trailed down to his mouth, smearing his front teeth, and dribbled down his chin. Castiel took a few deep [and incredibly shaky] breaths through his mouth. "I refused" he repeated, "She… she wasn't happy… she didn't like that… She said I had to be fixed… said I was broken…" he trailed off once more, curling tightly into himself as if he had just been punched in the stomach. "Who? Who is she?" Benny asked, both out of curiosity [he was getting pulled into Castiel's story] and because he was sure Dean would want a name.

"I was broken" Castiel said instead. "Was… am… I am broken… was broken… broken…" Castiel tilted his head up to look at Benny's eyes; it was quite awkward, as he was still curled up into himself. "She… she was going to fix me…" Castiel smiled sadly "She was going to take my free will" he said, the clearest thing he'd said since he stared talking. "Angels aren't supposed to know emotions, choice… perfect little soldiers… no free will… Naomi was going to make it all go away" he added, his head dipping forward again, his voice slurring, speaking too quickly or too quietly. Benny stared at him, "I'm sorry" he said, though he wasn't sure he'd understood even half of Castiel's insane rant. Castiel stiffened; he raised his head and tilted it. He gazed at Benny with unseeing eyes, somewhere else entirely. "No you're not" he said softly, sounding more like he was repeating something someone else had said, like a bird, not really understanding the words, just knowing how to pronounce them "You don't know the feeling."

Castiel's face broke into a pained grin [more like a grimace] before he screamed and dropped to the floor curling into a fetal position. He trembled violently, his eyes rolled with fear. More blood began to spew from his eyes, nose, and ears as he fought whatever was tormenting him from the inside. Benny jumped back, arms flailing to keep him balanced among the roots and damp leaves. He caught sight of his phone in his palm, quickly finished dialing the number and pressed send. In front of him, Castiel twisted into himself and into the ground with pain, his hair filled with leaves and twigs, his ragged breathing was desperate as if he couldn't get enough oxygen. "Dean!" Benny shouted as the phone went to voice mail. "You son of a bitch" Benny couldn't help but murmur. "Dean! Somethings wrong with your angel! He just… poofed… or flew, or something, in here… he's muttering nonsense… something about a Naomi… he's pretty messed up, he seemed to be in a lot of pain… and is bleeding a lot" he said. He glanced back at Castiel just in time to watch him, curled into himself on his forearms and knees, cough up blood. It splattered on the leaves, and then continued to stream out the corner of his mouth. Castiel collapsed on the ground, fatigued from this intense experience already, but was soon twisting and churning into himself once more. Even from here Benny could hear him muttering "No, no, no…no, no" to himself as he clutched his sides, or his head, as if to keep himself together. He withered in agony, his eyes rolling half-way into his head. "Dean… I don't think… I don't think he's gunna make it" Benny added into the phone, just as Castiel, collapsed onto his right side in a fetal position, and began to cough up more blood.

Benny could feel the exact moment everything changed. Whether Castiel lost the fight, or simply gave up was unsure, but it was over. Castiel went completely slack, crumbling like a rag doll on the ground. His eyes became unfocused, unseeing, staring straight ahead at nothing. Benny held the phone tightly; the angel appeared to have died. He took a step forward, his hand pulling the phone a few inches from his ear, to take a better look. Castiel blinked and his eyes zeroed in on Benny. Slowly, unnaturally, the angel pulled himself to his feet. He stared Benny for a moment. With a sound of fluttering wings he was standing right in front of him, his hand flashed up, gripping Benny's throat tightly and raising him up so his feet barely brushed the ground.

**XxX**

_"Hello again, Castiel" Naomi said, her arms folded neatly over her desk. "I'm Naomi." Castiel looked around, confused [as always] by the room he'd just appeared in. "Where am I?" Castiel asked. "You're here to help us, Castiel, though, so far, you haven't been doing your job very well" Naomi answered from behind her desk. Castiel narrowed his eyes as he became even more confused. Before he could speak, however, Naomi stood up. "You've been given specific instructions Castiel, orders… yet you do not follow them" she said, walking around her desk. "But… I've… I haven't received any orders" he answered. Naomi smiled a professional smile, nothing warm or sisterly in the facial expression. "None that you are conscious of yes… but, somehow, even without knowing your orders, you still manage to disobey them… to do as you please… as the Winchester asks" she continued. She walked up to Castiel, he backed up slightly, but she followed. _

_ Naomi pressed on until Castiel's calves hit the arm chair. With a light push, the confused angel fell on the chair. Naomi leaned over him. "You see, Castiel, Heaven still has an agenda… we still have plans… You are part of them…you are helping… but the Winchesters keep getting in the way" she said. She watched the confused expression leave Castiel's face, replaced by wrath… ah yes; the angel was as protective of his pets as was said. "Don't worry, Castiel" she said, placing her hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him down until he complied. "I do not plan on hurting the Winchesters, as that would not solve our little problem, would it?" she said. Castiel tilted his head once more "What problem?" he asked. Naomi simply smiled and touched her palm to his head, cupping his temple. She watched his eyes roll into his head as her brother did something that was very rare among angels, he lost consciousness._

_ Castiel blinked his eyes open, they glanced around them room, rolling in his head, before they focused. Naomi could pin-point the exact moment Castiel came into full awareness, he struggled to stand, to leap out of the chair, only to find he was strapped to it. He grunted, yanking his arm up and wincing when the action caused him pain. He glanced down and noticed his wrists were hand-cuffed to a chair, a different one that before. The hand-cuffs were thick and two and a half inches long, they started right underneath his wrists [actually biting into his palms a bit] and were of snug fit. He wiggled a bit more, finding it was no use, and raised his eyes to glare daggers at Naomi. She walked over calmly the professional smile plastered on her face, though this version had a hint of smugness in it. Castiel's eyes narrowed, he lunged from his chair when she stopped at the foot of his chair. His eyes widened in pain and he fell back into the chair, panting for breath, as the pain subsided. He trembled slightly, as he had been unprepared for the assault of pain. Naomi leaned forward, her hands gripping his forearms, her face very close to his. He took a few deep breaths before glancing up to meet her emotionless eyes. "What did you do to me?" he asked. Naomi noticed how his eyes had a hint of fear. _

_ Naomi pushed off the chair and turned around, walking over to a table on the other side of the room. "I told you, you are here to help us… but you aren't being very helpful, so we have to fix that" she said. Castiel was silent for a moment; Naomi could hear him shift in his seat before he asked "Why am I bound?" Angels didn't enjoy being confined; even vessels seemed uncomfortably restricting at first. "We believed you wouldn't listen to us, and this is of major importance, a high priority- you are a key in its success" she said. "Success of what?" Castiel asked. Naomi heard him struggle against the cuffs growing more desperate and frantic [though he was an expert at hiding it] when, no matter how hard he tried, he could barely wiggle in them. _

_ "Crowley has half of the tablet, yes?" Naomi said, though she made her statement sound like a question. Castiel nodded, looking down. "I couldn't stop him" he said softly. "Still much too weak from Purgatory" Naomi added for him. She knew he still wasn't back to his full strength, hopefully that would make this easier. "The tablet contains all information on demons, some even they are not aware of" she began. "The Leviathan Tablet was the same, and these are not the only ones, there is a tablet for every creature in existence" she said. "We want them. We must find all the tablets and keep them out of Crowley's reach. We also need the prophet; he is the only one who can translate them at the moment" she continued. "I… have not been able to locate Crowley…" Castiel began. "Haven't been able to locate him, or haven't been trying hard enough?" Naomi interrupted. Castiel straightened up in his seat, his back pressing to the chair. "Crowley disappeared-" he began. "With the tablet" Naomi added. "He might be hidden from angels" Castiel said, he glared at her. 'Does he have no respect for higher authorities anymore?' Naomi wondered, before answering herself. 'Of course not, this is the angel that stood up tall in the presence of Michael and Lucifer, who dared to challenge Raphael's rule once Michael was gone, who lead a Civil War and declared himself God. No, this angel has no respect for anything' she thought bitterly. "That is no excuse" she said, composing herself. "You have the Winchesters for a reason. Hunters have connections, if Crowley is cowering behind sigils, then you should have gotten the hunters on his trail" she said. "There are many more tablets that need finding, we need the prophet and we need the Demon Tablet. You have to get them for us, you have to return the Winchester's attention on the task of finding Crowley and of obtaining the other half of the tablet, at all costs" she said. "And when the tablet is recovered, the prophet must be handed over to us so he may find and read the remaining tablets."_

_ Naomi stared Castiel down as he began to shake his head "I cannot allow you to do that, Kevin and his mother have made it very clear they don't want to be taken into the protection of angels" Castiel said. "And, of course, the Winchesters wouldn't be very happy, would they?" Naomi said, managing to keep the bitterness from her voice. "But this isn't about them; this is about Heaven's orders. You _will_ find Crowley. You _will_ get the Winchesters to retrieve the tablet and then you _will_ bring us the prophet" she said. Castiel's face hardened. "No, I won't" he said, his voice strong and determined. _

_ Naomi turned back to the tablet, retrieving a small object. She turned around and advanced towards Castiel. "But first" she said, her steps slow. "I have another task for you" she added. "It seems the Winchesters find themselves preoccupied in other matters… at the moment Dean's attention seems to be on a certain vampire, he's losing sight of the mission. Sam is worrying over his brother and also pushing matters regarding the tablet aside as well" she said. In fact, up until a few days ago, the Winchesters hadn't even been speaking to each other. Naomi had quickly called Castiel up and told him he had to get the Winchester's back on track. Castiel had told the brothers to 'Stow their crap' or something like that. Things had not gone as Naomi had hoped, however. Dean's mind remained set on the vampire, Naomi grew worried he'd dump Crowley's trail, which grew colder by the day, and turn his full attention on the vampire. "I need to get rid of their distractions, starting with the vampire" she said._

_Castiel blinked, thinking for a moment. "Do you mean Benny?" he asked, though he didn't wait for an answer. "I can't harm Benny, he's Dean's friend. Dean would have remained in Purgatory if it weren't for him" he said, beginning to shake his head once more. "No. I won't." Castiel refused, meeting Naomi's stare head on. "Yes, you will" she said. "You will dispose of… 'Benny' and get the Winchester back on track. The tablet must be found." Castiel only glared at her, he sat up straight, defiant. Naomi sighed and lifted her hand, exposing the object in her hand. The room's lights reflected off its shiny silver surface. A small smile tugged at her lips when Castiel's eyes shifted, zeroing in on the object, wary. "Castiel, do you know what happens when something is broken?" she asked. Castiel hesitated, unsure of where she was going with this. "It is replaced, thrown away because it is no longer useful" he said warily. Naomi smiled, "Yes, that may be true most of the time… But what if the object is still useful or unique… one of its kind? What if it is the only one that can get the job done?" she asked. Castiel did not answer this time. "It is fixed" Naomi said, after the pause grew too long. _

_Naomi leaned over Castiel, her hand resting on the chair's head rest. It leaned back, so Castiel was lying more than sitting. She positioned the object over Castiel's face. She could see the fear in his eyes. "Like it?" she asked, referring to the object. "It's forged from an angel's blade… specifically for an occasion like this" she said. "What are you going to do to me?" Castiel asked, he pressed against the chair, trying to get as far away from the object in Naomi's hand as he could. "I'm going to make it go away" Naomi said softly. _

_"Did you know humans have something called a lobotomy?" Naomi asked, still leaning over Castiel, hand poised as if to strike. "They do… and you know what I thought? 'How useful this would have been, when a young, lowly Captain of a small and young garrison disobeyed. When he decided he served Man, and not Heaven. When he challenged an _Archangel_'s leadership. When he started a Civil War. When angels started killing angels. When he started working with a demon… When he decided he was the new God… When he… When he destroyed half of the ranks in Heaven…" Naomi said, her eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing. Her hand shook slightly. Castiel's expression soften "Sister…" he murmured. Naomi's eyes narrowed. She glared down at him for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "It's okay… I understand now… It was emotion…. You always did have _too much heart_… and that's not your fault, but it did cloud your judgment, influenced your choices. There's something wrong with you, Castiel…" she said. "But that's okay. It's okay. I can fix it… I can make it go away. It's a bit more complicated than it is with humans, but that's what this is for" she said, she waved the silver object slightly. "We both know it can touch [and harm] grace as well as our true form. I'm not going to hurt you Castiel, I'm going to help you. I'll just scrape a little off, just a little, just enough so this… this mutation… this… this thinking for yourself, the emotions, to go away. You'll be as you were, as you were meant to be, an angel of the Lord… a servant of Heaven" she said, leaning closer to Castiel, lifting her object until it was at eye level. "I'm going to fix you, Castiel" she murmured "And then you will go find Benny, you will eliminate him, and you will get the Winchesters back on Crowley's trail" she said. _

_The object in Naomi's grasp looked like a solid silver tube. It wasn't. The end pointed toward Castiel sharpened, it drew itself into a fine point. It was just this side too thick to be called a needle, but no other word could describe it. It was very long. Castiel's eyes widened, he struggled in his chair, his arms pulling frantically at the silver shackles that bound his wrists. They too were forged from angel blades. So many angels had died, their blades in their limp hands… there had been more than enough. "Naomi, _no_!" Castiel shouted. If he had been about to say more it was cut off by his scream as Naomi jammed the needle in, poking around in his essence. This had never been done [or thought of] before. Naomi wasn't even sure it would work. Castiel squirmed beneath her, he twisted and struggled, but it was to no avail, his movement was limited. His wings unfurled and twitched, Castiel couldn't focus enough to make them do much else. Naomi grimaced as Castiel's grace withered in pain; they stabbed at her own grace as if Castiel were begging his sibling to save him from this torment. She screwed her eyes shut, every last bit and to be removed _every last bit_. _

_Naomi stiffened when Castiel became completely still, 'was it working?'. Castiel stared straight at her, his eye twitched, then both his eyes closed. Naomi watched his twitching wings stiffen. Castiel opened his eyes, they glowed a bright blue, startling Naomi. She pulled back; Castiel's grace burned brightly, his wings unfurled to their full length. This ability was new; Castiel had not had it before. Naomi felt a stab of bitterness at yet another reminder that Castiel was God's new favorite, despite everything. Castiel's grace glowed; it seemed to be gathering strength. "No, Castiel!" Naomi shouted, grabbing Castiel's head in her hands. His hands twitched then jerked upward, tearing out of his restraints. Naomi felt Castiel's scream of pain as much as she heard it. The cuffs had not been as simple as human restrains; they bound Castiel's grace itself in order to hold him in place, he's just torn himself free, thanks to his knew ability. _

_Castiel's eyes began to roll into his head; it seemed his knew trick did not come without a price. Collecting and using up so much power at once left him drained. Naomi could still feel him slipping away. Naomi snapped back at the feeling of Castiel being ripped from her grasp. She used the chair for support. She had barely had time to say "Remember nothing" before he was yanked back into his vessel._

**XxX**

_Dean glared at Sam, who was pointedly refusing to look back at him. Dean rolled his eyes, Sam was really being immature. Really, it's not like what Dean had done had been that bad, he's just been trying to help his friend… His friend… Benny had torn Martin's throat out. He understood why, of course, Martin had threated his great-granddaughter... But…Martin was a hunter… he would have never hurt the girl; Benny should have known that… Would Martin have hurt Elizabeth? It was just too complicated… and... it was making Dean's head hurt. If only-"CAS!" Dean shouted, when his friend's eyes suddenly rolled into his head and his legs gave out beneath him. _

_The angel collapsed on the ground like a puppet whose strings had been clipped. Before Dean could make a move towards his friend the angel opened his eyes, wide and expressionless. He slowly picked himself off the ground and stood up. He tottered slightly, his face was blank, and slack, his eyes staring straight ahead, unseeing. "Cas, you okay?" Dean asked, the concern thick in his voice. His brow furrowed, he watched his friend closely. His eyes narrowed when something red caught his attention, they widened when he realized it was _blood_ coming out of Cas' _eye_. Cas continued stare straight ahead, he swayed back and forth gently, and then he was gone in a sound of fluttering wings. Dean stared at the space his angel had occupied mere seconds ago, his eyes wide. He closed his mouth and swallowed before turning to look at his brother. Sam stared back, surprise, shock, and worry in his eyes, though it was a dulled version of the emotions drowning in Dean's green orbs. _

**XxX**

A weird choking sound clawed its way out of Benny's throat as Castiel's steel grip tightened. Castiel lifted him up higher, his index finger and thumb dug into his throat and jaw. Benny's left hand still clutched his phone, while his right hand clawed at Castiel's in a futile effort to ease the vice grip on his throat. Castiel stared at Benny, untouched by his struggles and choked cries. "Cas-" the second half of the word was cut off when Castiel tightened his grip, Benny could only wheeze out the rest. Castiel tilted his head; his nose began to bleed again, like a faucet. Benny felt his fangs grow; he was a bit preoccupied and couldn't focus on his control. Castiel began to tremble, though Benny remained off the ground, Castiel's arm was stiff, it just quivered. The angel blinked and his eyes focused.

Benny felt the hand on his throat relax ever so slightly. Benny looked at the angel, who was breathing hard, eyes wide. "I can't…" Castiel forced the words out. Blood began to pour out of the corners of his eyes. The angel appeared to be crying blood, sobbing. He bet there were artists who would sell their souls for a chance to paint something this heartbreakingly beautiful. "I can't stop" Castiel finally stammered. He swayed on his feet, his eyes begging, though Benny did not know for what.

'He's still fighting' Benny realized. That's why the angel was bleeding. Every time the angel fought back, every time he resisted whatever was attempting to control him, he began to bleed. The angel was bleeding himself dry in his attempt to stop himself. It was obvious, from his trembling, his pained expression, his struggle to communicate, that the damage being done was much worse than simple bleeding. Benny couldn't begin to fathom what was occurring behind those gentle blue eyes, beyond the vessel, to the angel beneath.

"I… can't…" Castiel repeated, his trembling worsened, his pupils dilated. His grip tightened on Benn's throat once more. "I'm sorry" Castiel breathe, the tremors racked his body so viciously Benny could hardly believe that he hadn't fallen out of the angel's grasp. "I know" Benny said softly, kindly, right before the awareness in Castiel's eyes faded completely. An incredibly bright light began to emit from Castiel's palm. Benny closed his eyes slowly as the light began to burn his essence away. No, not his essence… only the darkness. The monster. Benny could feel the vampire, the curse given to him so many lifetimes ago, burn away and leave nothing but the humanity behind. The only problem with this was that Benny's humanity [as that of all monsters] as so tangled up with his curse, that he could not live without it. It was like expecting a soul to remain once the body had been killed off. The soul would survive, just not in this world.

Benny briefly wondered where he would go. Would he still go to Purgatory? Or were his choices now between Heaven and Hell? Had his killing of the hunter doomed him to Hell? Or had his switching off humans helped reserve a spot for him in Heaven? Benny could feel the last of the vampire burn away under the intense light. Right before he went, Benny thought of the oddest thing, Castiel's eyes. He realized what he saw in them now, when Castiel lost the fight. It wasn't that Castiel's eyes were unfocused. It was that they completely lacked any and all sense of emotion… Castiel's light burned off the last of him and he crumpled to the ground, his phone bouncing off his palm, and into the leaves.

Castiel's hand relaxed, letting the imp body of the vampire slip from his grasp and onto the ground. He swayed on his feet for a moment, unsteady, before his eyes rolled into his head and he crumbled to the ground as well.

**XxX**

Sam paced in the room; he occasionally glanced out the window, staring at the spot in the parking lot where Castiel had vanished. Dean sat on one of the beds, his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze on the ugly burgundy carpet, his cell phone in his hands. '_Come on Cas, you selfish bastard! Answer me!_' Dean prayed angrily. Half an hour had barely gone by but both of the Winchester brothers felt anxious and worried. They had both seen Castiel's eyes roll into his eyes, the empty look, and the blood. They had just stood there, staring at the spot their friend had occupied, for several seconds before finally unfreezing. They had both known there was little they could do. They'd gone back into the motel to wait- and Dean hadn't stopped praying since.

'_Cas, you son-of-a-bitch, I swear…if you're dead…I'mma follow you to the other side just so I can kick your feathery ass!_' Dean prayed, taking in a shuddering breath. '_Just, please_' Dean began. 'Please be okay' he thought, closing his eyes. This was all too familiar, and not in a good way. He remembered Purgatory; he remembered praying to Cas every night. Sometimes he'd swear he'd kill the angel himself for leaving him. Other times he simply called to him, hoping he'd hear the familiar flutter of wings. There was a brief period when he had alternated from begging Cas to just _be okay_, to reassuring him that he _was_ looking for him and that he _would_ find him. The only difference this time was that Cas hadn't just disappeared, Dean had seen with his own eyes that Cas was in trouble [angels didn't just start bleeding out of the blue] and that this time, Dean wasn't running to go look for him, he was sitting on a bed. He knew Sam had been right when he said it was pointless to try and look for Cas, when an angel wanted to disappear, he _disappeared_. Cas could be up in Heaven for all they knew… This knowledge didn't keep Dean from kicking himself for being unable to protect Cas.

'_Cas? Cas, buddy, can you hear me? Cas… Cas, where are you? Are you hurt? What the hell happened back there? Cas? Cas! Cas, you little son-of-a-bitch, don't do this to me! Don't you dare! Don't… don't… don't be dead… please_' Dean's shoulders sagged, almost as if in defeat. He couldn't… he didn't think he could take this… again. He'd just gotten Cas back! 'Cas, please' he thought, squeezing his eyes shut.

Dean opened his eyes, staring at his phone. Benny had called him several minutes ago. Dean had just let it go to voice mail. He couldn't deal with the vampire right now. Benny had left a message, but Dean had ignored that too. Benny, Martin, the whole damn business with Elizabeth, it all couldn't have been further from his mind at the moment. He closed his eyes again, he could see Sam pace from the corner of his eye, and he'd rather not. There was a sound like the flutter of wings, then Sam's surprised "Cas!" Dean smiled softly to himself before opening his eyes and raising his head.

Cas' sudden appearance in the motel did not startle Sam, he was more than used to the sound of fluttering wings. He whirled around to see Cas standing there, not hurt, not dying, not even looking as if he were being chased or if he had been attacked. Cas appeared casual, he blinked, startled, when Sam shouted his name "Cas!" and rushed over to him. Cas took a step back, as if spooked by the larger man's charge, so Sam refrained from hugging him. There was always a chance Cas might just poof away again. Sam took a deep breath and back up, he could see Cas visibly relax when Sam slipped into a more natural [for him] stance. "Cas…" Sam heard his brother say, the bed creaked when he stood up. Cas turned around just in time to be caught in a bear-hug, Dean pulled the slighter man in tight, a relieved smile on his face.

Sam looked at Cas' face, which furrowed in confusion, as the angel tried to turn his head a bit, to look at Dean, who quickly pulled away. Cas' head was tilted slightly, he clearly hadn't been expecting the hug. "What the hell happened back there, Cas?" Dean asked, his eyes narrowing as his voice taking a more aggressive tone now that the relief had passed. Cas's eyes betrayed even more confusion. "Wha- What do you mean?" he asked slowly. Dean's eyes narrowed even more, if Sam didn't know any better he'd have though his brother was mad at Cas. That wasn't the case, however, he knew Dean was frightened for Cas and was likely also angry with himself… Dean had a tendency to blame himself.

"What? What do you mean, 'what'?" Dean said. "The blacking out, the blank stare, the blood?!" he  
said, getting more worked up with every word. Cas was slowly shaking his head "I don't unders- I don't know what you're talking about Dean" he said. Dean looked like he was about to start shouting, which wouldn't do anyone any good if Cas truly didn't remember, so Sam stepped in. He grabbed onto the angel's shoulder, turning him slightly so he was facing him. "Cas, what's the last thing you remember, before coming here?" Sam asked gently in that you-can-confide-all-your-problems-to-me-you-can-totally-trust-me-I'm-only-here-to-help voice. Dean glared at him, Sam made sure he stayed focused on Cas, ignoring his brother. Cas seemed to concentrate. "I… I woke up" he said, as if he wasn't sure why whatever memory he was looking was there in the first place. "Woke up?" Sam and Dean said simultaneously.

"Care to explain, Cas?" Dean asked, coming forward to stand beside Cas and Sam. Cas looked down, thinking. "I woke up, in a forest… I came right back here as soon as I gathered my bearings" Cas said, seeming as surprise and confused as Dean and Sam that that was all he remembered. "And… and before that? What do you remember before waking up?" Sam asked. Cas stared at Sam intently, as if trying to find the answer in the tall man' eyes, his face slackened as he focused on something far away. A small tremor passed through the angel's slender vessel, his eyes glazing over. "Kevin" he said, blinking his eyes, they were focused once more. "What?" Dean blurted out at the same time Sam asked "What about him?" Cas blinked a few times, glancing at the ground. "I was… I was going to… I had to find Kevin…" he said, uncertain at first but his voice quickly gaining confidence as he fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Okay, I'll bite… why?" Dean asked. "And what does Kevin have to do with you blacking out and bleeding from your eye?" he added. Cas blinked at him, still obviously not having a clue what Dean was talking about. "Did you… go to find Kevin, and blacked out before you could get there?" Sam asked. "No…I… I… I was going to find Crowley" Cas said, his brow furrowed. Dean's face went blank; he blinked owlishly before shouting "What The _Hell_ Cas? Why the Hell would you do that? You could've gotten yourself killed!" Cas narrowed his eyes and squared his shoulders. Sam backed up; it was out of his hands now. "Dean" Cas began, his voice filled with power, reminding Dean it was still an angel he was talking to. "Crowley has half of the Demon Tablet, the tablet _I_ broke… We have to get it back if we ever hope to finish this. We may not get Heaven on earth-"

"Who would want that anyways" Dean muttered, earning him a glare from Cas.

"We may not have Heaven on earth, but sealing all demons away is good enough. It's the least I can do after everythin- We don't know if Crowley can use his half of the tablet to find the other half, or Kevin himself. Either result could be disastrous, we must recover the other half of the tablet and return it to the prophet" Cas said, eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I'm sure Kevin and Mrs. Tran are safe with Garth" Sam said, putting a comforting hand on the angel. "But it wouldn't hurt to check up on them… We can also ask Garth about finding the other half of the tablet, maybe Kevin can tune into it somehow" he said. Cas was right, the mission at hand was important, they could be closing the Gates of Hell forever… they couldn't stray off task. Sam glanced at his brother; their conversation would have to wait… Dean didn't seem to be in a conversing mood anyhow.

Dean rolled his eyes but still walked back to the bed and began to pack his stuff. How could Cas have been so stupid as to try and take Crowley on alone? Was he even at full strength yet? Dean flinched internally at the thought that Crowley might be ready for Cas… might even be waiting for the foolish child to face him on his own…

Dean zipped up his bag, "This isn't over Cas, you are never to do that again. We do this together, or we don't do it at all" he said. "Of course, Dean" Castiel said, watching Dean walk out the door and to the parking lot, his steps just a bit too quick. He was obviously still irritated. Sam pat his shoulder, "He'll get over it" he said "He was just worried, is all, we both were… You got friends Cas, don't think you have to go through anything alone" he said, giving his shoulder a squeeze before walking out the door as well. Castiel took a step forward to follow, he swayed on his feet, his right hand came up to support his weight on the nearest wall.

Warm, thick liquid began to run down from the corner of Castiel's eye. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself against the wall as images of light, white rooms, a silver needle, and trees flashed in his mind as well as stabs of fear and pain. "Hey Cas, you coming?" Deans voiced carried in from the parking lot. Castiel opened his eyes, his left had reached up to wipe away at the blood, he blinked at it curiously, it was gone the next moment, from both his hand and his face. He slowly pushed himself away from the wall and walked out the door, closing it behind him.


	2. Leads

*******Disclaimer* _I own nothing of Supernatural...this is purely fan-made... _**

**[Homework can be (is always) boring. Mine certainly is... writin down the ideas that popped into my head seemed like the perfect excuse to take a break, so I did... and I ended up with a complete chapter. Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Its what kept the story in my mind, and therefore led me to produce this.]**

**Chapter Two**

"Dean? Dean! Hey, Dean!" Dean jerked upright when Sam's big hand clasped his shoulder, thoroughly startled. He'd zoned out half-way through the conversation and had been staring, eyes unseeing, at his phone for the past fifteen minutes. '1 missed call' its screen read. '1 new message.' Dean always answered _this_ phone; he always listened to his voicemail. This was his 'business' phone, the one that connected him to other hunters. He hadn't answered it yesterday, on purpose. He still hadn't listened to the voicemail, Benny's message.

Dean sighed, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Huh?" he uttered, glancing up at his brother. They were at Garth's safe house…boat. They were at Garth's safe house _boat_. Garth was present, as well as Mrs. Tran, Kevin, Cas, Sam, and Dean himself. They were all in the middle of a _lovely_ conversation. "No! Absolutely not!" Mrs. Tran said. She had her arms crossed over her chest; her face was set and her stance strong. She didn't care that the two men before her were bigger and stronger than her, nor that an angel stood just a few feet away, she looked like a tiger, ready to defend her cub. Beside her, sitting on a chair, her 'cub', Kevin, buried his face in his palm, embarrassed but not getting into the discussion again. He had tried to voice his opinion earlier, but his mother had shushed him as if saying 'Hush honey, grown-ups are talking'.

"Mrs. Tran" Sam tried again. He held his palms up, as if trying to calm Mrs. Tran. The tiger was not impressed, but she let him speak. "This is urgent. This is something no hunter has ever dared to even _dream_ about. We could close the Gates of Hell, _forever_" Sam said. "I know Sam, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you take my baby-" Mrs. Tran was getting worked up again, Dean suppressed a groan.

"Mrs. Tran, if we succeed, it would be over. No more demons following you, or your son. You would be free to return to your lives, you could leave all of this behind you. All we need is the other half of the tablet, and we need Kevin to get it." he said. Mrs. Tran narrowed her eyes. "Why must my son come along? Haven't we been through enough?" she glanced at Cas and pointed. "He's the one that broke it in the first place, why don't you make the angel go get it?" she asked, Cas looked up, his big blue eyes widened as he accepted the accusation, he shifted his gaze to the wall, eyes downcast. Mrs. Tran most likely meant no harm by her statement, but that didn't stop Dean from shooting up in his seat. "The angel" he said "Is most likely the only reason you have your son sitting next to you, _all his fingers intact_, and not chained up in some torture chamber of Crowley's. Or worse, _dead_" Dean said, narrowing his eyes. "Dean" Sam cautioned, he placed a hand on Dean's chest, as if holding him back. Dean glared at Sam's stupid please-let-me-handle-this puppy eyes. With a grumble, he backed up until he stood by Cas. The angel glanced up at his presence, said nothing, and returned his attention to the conversation before him.

Mrs. Tran turned to look at Garth, who was leaning against the wall, a childishly innocent expression on his face. "Garth!" she said. He started, as if awaked from his dreams, and blinked owlishly. "Can't you so something?!" she said. Garth shrank back a bit, before he remembered who he was, or rather, was supposed to be, and shrugged off the wall. "I'm sorry ma'am, but at the end of the day, I'm just another connection… I help, I find cases… I research…give advice…but… I have no influence over what the hunters decide to do" he said, shrugging a bit sheepishly. Mrs. Tran narrowed her eyes somewhat, causing the slight man to duck his head and back up once more.

"Mrs. Tran" Sam began, for what seemed like the fiftieth time. "We understand you and your son have been through a lot, truly, we do. That doesn't change the fact, however, that Kevin is a prophet. We didn't choose this, Cas didn't choose this, Kevin certainly didn't choose this, but it happened anyways. Kevin has the power to save many lives, the world will be a much safer place once all the demons are gone" Sam said, he held onto Mrs. Tran's stare with his own soft gaze. "Crowley is cloaked from us, he's in deep hiding. He's likely using angel sigils to ward off Cas... Kevin might be the only one who can help us" he said. Mrs. Tran pursed her lips. "And how is Kevin supposed to find Crowley when he's hidden himself from _angels_?" she asked. Sam smiled softly, "Not Crowley, Mrs. Tran, the other half of the tablet… Kevin might be able to find the tablet. He's done it before. We didn't find Kevin to get him to translate the Leviathan Tablet… he found us… Or I guess, found the tablet would be more accurate" Sam said. Seeing that Mrs. Tran wasn't arguing, Sam quickly continued. "We would just need him to find the tablet, then we, or Cas, would bring him right back here" he said.

Mrs. Tran pursed her lips, thinking, but Sam could see he'd all but convinced her. "Please, Mrs. Tran, we wouldn't ask if it wasn't important" he said. Mrs. Tran glanced at his face, his I-am-here-for-you-I-am-on-your-side face, and her shoulders sagged a bit. Sam smiled a bit, though he bit the inside of his cheek slight in well concealed worry. He would do everything in his power to make sure Kevin was safe, as would Dean and Cas, but Crowley was tricky, and dangerous… he might be making promising he couldn't keep. Mrs. Tran was trusting them _with her son_… Sam straightened up and glanced at Garth, "You think you could give us a head start on finding Crowley?" he asked. Garth perked up, his eyes focusing on Sam, and shrugged off the wall again. "I could try, make some calls, tell other hunters to keep an eye out… hit the books" he said, trailing off. Crowley was not an easy demon to find. "Anything will help" Sam said gently. Garth smiled a bit at that and quickly let the room. Sam smiled to himself, he often didn't realize just how much of a calming, or reassuring effect, he had on others.

Dean stepped away from the wall, coming to stand by Sam. "What we need" he said "is a demon" he finished leaning towards Sam's ear. Sam twisted his head around to look at his brother, "What?" he asked. Dean shrugged "Only demons will know of Crowley's location, it's not like the King of Hell is doing all the work himself" Dean said. "You want to torture a demon for information?" Sam asked, turning away from the Trans. Dean shrugged again, "It might be our only shot, chances are, Crowley will figure out hunters are snooping around before Garth's connections get us a single good lead" he said. Before Sam could say much else, Dean wheeled around on his heel and jerked his head to Cas. "Come on Cas" Dean said. "We're going to go call up our own connections." Sam watched Cas tilt his head in confusion and curiosity. Dean didn't turn back to see if Cas was following him, he simply walked out onto the deck. Cas quickly followed. Sam watched from inside, he couldn't hear what Dean told Cas, all he saw was Cas placing two fingers on Dean's forehead. They vanished in that instant, leaving Sam alone with Kevin and Mrs. Tran. He smiled [a bit awkwardly] at them, and shuffled his feet, unsure of what to do, or where to sit. He ended up leaning again the wall, staring out the window. Kevin looked at the ground, his half of the tablet hugged to his chest, but Mrs. Tran stared at him, boring holes into his side.

Not all demons were like Crowley. In fact, most demons were nothing like Crowley, and for that, Dean was thankful. Crowley was devious, cunning, and managed to escape the Winchesters every time. Most demons weren't that lucky… and most demons weren't cloaked from angels. It hardly took Cas ten seconds to retrieve one. Dean didn't jump at the flutter of wings, or at the demon struggling in the angel's vice grip. Cas looked at Dean uncertainly, Dean only nodded towards the chair, which had been placed in the middle of a Devil's Trap. Cas glanced in the chair's direction, glanced back at Dean, then dragged the demon to the chair, tied his hands to the armrests, and stepped back. Dean walked forward, demon knife in his grasp. He'd had enough of Crowley, of his games. He wanted to end this **now**. Cas backed into a corner, keeping an eye on the demon incase Dean needed his help, as Dean leaned in close to the demons face. "Now, I'm going to ask you one question, just one. I expect an answer. Where's Crowley?"

After about five minutes of awkward standing and shuffling and trying to ignore Mrs. Tran's lazer-stares, Sam decided the most polite [and smart] thing to do would be to give the small family their space and left to find Garth. Garth was in his 'study' or perhaps it was meant to be a library… either way, Garth sat at his desk, three books open in front of him, two phones on the edge of his desk, and many papers scattered about. Garth glanced up at the sound of Sam's approach. "Oh, hey Sam!" Garth greeted him, his voice ever cheerful. Sam smiled in response, going to sit opposite of Garth, across his cluttered desk.

"So…" Sam began, fidgeting in his chair slightly. Garth, who had returned to his work, glanced up again, his face patient and expectant, waiting for Sam to continue. "How are you doing in your… um, search for Crowley?" Sam asked finally. Garth's face finally fell, just the slightest. His eyes lost a bit of their shine, looking down right tired. Sam pressed his lips together in a small smile. Garth might have been a hunter, but… being the 'new Bobby' was a lot of work. Sam wondered, for the first time, if Garth was handling it okay… geting calls from hunters all over, researching, tracking, trailing, everything a good connection did, everything Bobby did. "It's… going" Garth said. "No one knows anything yet, but they all promised to give us a call if they catch the demon's scent" he said, motioning to the two closest phones. Sam remembered Garth also had his pockets and jacket stuffed with them. "And, as for the research…. I don't have anything helpful yet…but I'm sure it will pop up" he added. Sam smiled a small, reassuring smile. "I'm sure it will" he murmured. Garth smiled back, his being a lot bigger and brighter, before he returned to his research.

"Oh, that reminds me" Garth said, flipping the page of one of his thick books. Sam glanced up from the book he was holding, having decided to help Garth out, might as well be useful. "Hmm?" Sam said. "How are things between you and Dean?" Garth asked, pausing only to look Sam in the eye before returning to his book and notepad. Sam hadn't even noticed the notepad, it was too well hidden among the thick books and scattered papers. "They're…um, they're good Garth" Sam said after a moment, smiling to himself. At least Garth wasn't saying 'balls' and 'idjit' he thought. Garth glanced up again "Well, I'm glad you guys patched things up" he said, before returning to his book once more. "Yeah" Sam said, his own book lying forgotten on his lap. He thought of Benny, and Amelia, Martin and Dean's hypocrisy, "Yeah, me too Garth" he said softly, before returning to his book as well.

Well past 2a.m. That's when Dean and Cas decided to return to Garth's safe house boat. Sam had fallen asleep at around 1:30a.m, the words blurring into one. He guessed his little conversation with Mrs. Tran had tired him out more than he realized. He woke to Garth's hand, shaking his shoulder. "Sam, hey, Sam, they're back" Garth said. He barely managed to move Sam, but it still did the trick. Sam blinked his eyes open, glanced around, stretched, and then quickly got out of his chair, catching the book on his lap before it fell. "Huh?" he said, standing up. "Dean is back, he says you gotta move" Garth said, walking toward the door of his study. "Move?" Sam asked, even though his grogginess had all but left him and he was aware of what answer he'd receive. "Dean says he found Crowley" Garth said, before disappearing up the stairs.

Sam blinked, and then followed Garth up the stairs. He found Mrs. Tran sitting at the small table. Kevin was sitting on the small couch; he had bed hair and was rubbing his eyes. He only seemed half aware of what was going on around him. Cas stood by the wall, watching the scene before him, Dean stood in the middle of it all, looking rather impatient, with Garth beside him. "Sammy!" Dean said, interrupting whatever Garth had been saying. Sam snapped at attention. "Yeah?" he said, walking forward, he already knew what was going on anyways. "We found Crowley, we have to move, before he disappears again" Dean said. "You sure it's really him? I don't think anyone" Sam said, glancing at Kevin, "Is up for a 2a.m wild goose chase." Dean just nodded, "Yeah, it's him. I'm sure."

Back on the couch, Kevin was finally looking more alert. He blinked at the two hunters, and then stood up, the tablet still hugged tightly to his chest. "Oh, no, that's staying here" Sam said. Kevin clutched the tablet more tightly, leaning away from Sam slightly. "We can't run the risk of Crowley getting his hands on both pieces" he said, slowly and gingerly prying it from Kevin's grasp. Kevin hesitantly, and oh so slowly, relinquished his hold on the tablet. Sam offered him a small smile, then passed the thing on to Garth. "Here" he said "Keep this safe till we get back." Garth took the tablet, examining it with mild interest, before nodding at Sam.

Cas walked forward then, he put two fingers on Dean's forehead, and two fingers on Sam's forehead. Sam closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was standing by the Impala, Cas nowhere in sight. He blinked and Kevin stood in front of him, eyes wide and mouth open as if he had just gasped. Cas drew his fingers back and stepped to the side. Dean was already in the driver's seat. "Let's go" he said, poking his head out the window. Sam sighed and walked around the hood of the car, to the other side, opened the door and got in. Kevin stood by the back door, as if he wasn't sure what to do, then got into the car as well. He leaned on the door after he closed it, Sam was sure he'd be asleep again before they hit the road. Cas appeared on the side opposite of Kevin, sitting straight and formal. With that, Dean started the engine and drove out of the vegetation that they had hidden the Impala in. Sam snuggled into his seat, determined to get at least few hours of sleep before confronting Crowley, and stared out the window. He blinked slowly and closed his eyes. Light snoring filled his ears, the corner of his lips twitched up in a smile before he relaxed and fell asleep as well.

**[Hope you guys enjoyed that, I'm nearly done with chapter three...shouldn't be too long before its up]**


	3. Priorities

***********Disclaimer* _I own nothing of Supernatural...this is purely fan-made... _**

**Chapter Three**

"Hey… Hey! Kevin, wake up!" Kevin jerked, waking with a start, to stare at Dean's eyes. He blinked owlishly and Dean withdrew his hand from his leg, which he had been shaking to wake him. "Huh?" Kevin mumbled, he struggled to sit up, his neck felt stiff. "This is as far as we go on car" Dean said "Look" he added, pointing to an old, run down building. "We're here." Kevin nodded, rubbing his eyes and stretching. He didn't care if it made him seem like a five year old; he needed to after hours in the car. "Oh" was all Kevin said, before opening his door and stepping out. Sam and Castiel were already standing outside, in the shade of the trees, which grew behind the car. It wasn't hidden very well, but at least it was out of sight of the building right? Kevin didn't understand hunter logic all that well; he supposed it was at least moderately safe if the Winchesters had decided to park there.

"Hey, Kevin" Dean said, grabbing his arm. Kevin glanced up, and then down at the little bottle Dean had shoved into his hands. "Holy water" Dean said, nodding towards the thing. "Your main concern is finding the tablet; we'll cover you and take care of any demons that cross our path. But, just in case, you can use it to at least hold them off" he said. Kevin nodded, his hands tightening their hold of the bottle. Dean pressed his lips together, nodded again, and then walked over to his brother. Kevin glanced down at the holy water, trying to calm his fears. Last time he had encountered a demon, he had gotten his finger sliced off by Crowley, and had believed his mother to be dead. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and followed the Winchesters, who had begun to walk toward the building.

Sam pulled Kevin beside him, and pushed his arm against his chest to make sure the boy kept close to the wall. Dean crouched in front of him, the knife in his hand. "I can't get in" Cas said, he stood behind Kevin, back straight, though he was keeping close to the wall. "What?" Dean called over his shoulder, eyes narrowed slightly; he didn't feel like having anything ruin this hunt, not today, Sam hoped Cas didn't mistakenly believe Dean was angry at him... At least, he hoped Dean wasn't actually mad at him; it wasn't the angel's fault. "Seems that, after learning of my return, Crowley decided to take precaution against angels" Cas said, voice low.

"So, what now?" Sam asked. "We go in" Dean answered. "Dean…" Cas cautioned, squaring his shoulders, his voice deepened slightly in warning. He wasn't up for any of Dean's recklessness today. "Look, we go inside, Kevin looks for the tablet, or waits for his spidey-senses to tingle" he said. Cas opened his mouth but Dean quickly raised his hand to quiet him "He's a super hero, Cas, not important. Anyways, we'll destroy any angel-warding sigils we find, and you come in once you can, okay?" he finished. Sam turned his head to glance at the angel, who had his eyes narrowed. Cas sighed and relaxed his stance slightly. "Okay, then… stay outta sight…okay?" Dean added. With that Dean walked forward, crouched low, and Sam followed. He glanced back to where Kevin hung back with Cas. The boy had his lips pressed together, eyes fixed on the ground. He glanced up, offered Sam an uneasy smile, and followed, leaving Cas alone.

It was surprisingly easy to enter the building, just like before. Sam supposed this was because all the demons were with Crowley, or perhaps guarding the tablet, which wasn't good. He glanced around, alert, keeping an eye out for demons, sigils, and even the tablet- though it was unlikely for Crowley to leave it lying around. He glanced back at Kevin, who was eyeing the place with wide eyes, his bottle of holy water grasped tightly to his chest, like a life-line.

"Getting anything?" Sam asked, more to give Kevin the comfort of a human voice than to inquire about the tablet. He knew the boy wouldn't hesitate to speak once he felt the Word of God. Kevin glanced up, meeting Sam's eyes, and shook his head, slowly at first, then quicker, making him look like a small child. Sam's lips twitched up in a humorless smile, this was what they'd dragged into the fight between demons and angels and hunters. No wonder Mrs. Tran wanted them nowhere near her son.

Dean traveled slightly ahead of Sam and Kevin, clearing a path to nowhere in particular; they were basically just going from room to room and hall to hall, waiting for Kevin's prophet senses to tingle. He mostly keep an eye out for demons, ganking them before they even came close to Kevin, but he also searched for the sigils, he's scratched through quite a few of them with his knife already. He trusted Sam to find the rest- how many did they have to take down before Cas could squeeze through anyways? He took a deep breath; the [fifth] demon had promised he'd find Crowley here as well as the tablet, which Crowley tended to carry on his person, though the demon hadn't told him why. Dean didn't care either way, it just made things easier for them.

Dean round another corner, his green eyes scanning the surroundings- dirty, run down hallway, with cracks lining the cement walls, but no tablet, and no Crowley, not even sigils on the walls, they'd stopping finding sigils a while back. He glanced over his shoulder, to where Sam crouched with Kevin, seemingly trying to comfort the young prophet. The next second he was flying through the air and slamming into a nearby wall, the wind knocked out of his lungs. "Sammy!" Dean gasped as soon as he could catch his breath, trying to warn his brother, and Kevin, of the three demons he'd just run into. "You Winchesters just don't know when to quit, do you?" one of them asked, his eyes flashing to black before returning to brown. Dean rose to his feet, his knife in hand. "I could say the same thing about your boss" he shot back, not his wittiest remark, especially since, fact be told, Crowley's winnings largely dwarfed those of the Winchesters.

Sam barged into the wide hall way, Kevin close behind him. Dean was sprawled on the floor, two demons lay dead around him, but a third still stood and held Dean pinned. He glanced up, eyes flashing black, and grinned, a smile that was all teeth, at the younger Winchester, eyes sliding toward Kevin, which was half hidden behind Sam. "Oh, you returned the prophet! Won't Crowley be pleased!" he exclaimed, his grin turning into a shark-like smile. Sam could nearly feel Kevin stiffen behind him; he knew the boy was tightening his trip on the holy water. He also knew he wouldn't run, scared though he was, Kevin wasn't a coward, he knew what his job was, the pull of the tablet was stronger than his fear for his life. Sam did not envy prophets.

"Exorcizamus te omnis immundus, spiritus, omnis satanica potestas" Sam began. He may not have the demon knife, but he knew the exorcising spell by memory anyways. The demon seized up, eyes full of fury, and focused solely on Sam. He tried not to smile as Dean jumped up and stabbed the demon through the throat. "Well, that was" Dean began. He allowed the body to slump to the ground, nudging it away with his shoe. Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by Kevin quiet gasp. Dean didn't need more to whirl around and face the seven demons Sam and Kevin had already noticed. "Prophet" a pretty, petite female with red hair and piercing green eyes said. Her eyes flashed black "We hope you had the intelligence of bringing the other half of the tablet with you" she added with a menacing smile. Dean gripped his knife tightly, trying to find the easiest demon to gank.

"Sam!" Kevin shouted as a pair of thick, strong arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled, which was rather futile, against the demon, kicking and squirming. He turned his head, catching sight of four demons, excluding the one hold onto him. "The King of Hell will see you now" the demon said into his ear. 'Oh hell' was all Kevin could think.

Castiel had cloaked himself; he would be completely invisible to humans and most supernatural creatures. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to shield himself from the eyes of demons, however. He could only hope he wasn't spotted, he did not wish to ruin the Winchester's cover. His grace stretched toward the building, trying to find chinks in its armor, trying to get in and help his friends. He was relentless, but so were the sigils, so long as they decorated the inside of the building, he would remain outside. He didn't pull his grace back, however, not even for an instant; he'd be ready, he'd be at his friends' side as soon as he felt the wall give way.

The realization came suddenly. One second a wall of sigils barricaded his entrance to the building, the next second the wall had crumbled. Castiel zeroed in on Crowley's signature, the demon wasn't exactly trying to hide, not in the safety of his sigils. Castiel narrowed his eyes and spread his wings. He didn't have to think twice; in fact, he didn't think at all. One second the wall was in place, the next Castiel could feel Crowley in the building, the presence as strong as if he had had the demon before him. Castiel hardly thought about the sigils, of the fact that he was no longer barred, he simply flew in, his wings taking him straight into Crowley's chamber, in the heart of the ruined building- one thing on his mind: 'the tablet'.

Crowley stiffened, eyes going wide, yet still calculating, before they narrowed slightly, and he turned around to greet his unexpected visitor. Castiel stood at the other edge of the room, head low and eyes menacing. Crowley smirked, "Castiel, so nice of you to drop by, uninvited, but, who needs invitations when you're among friends, am I right?" he said. Not giving Castiel a chance to answer, he continued "Now, we weren't friends, per say, but we were business partners, for a full year- well, a year in Earth standards" ending with another devilish smile. Castiel narrowed his eyes, clearly not amused. Crowley rolled his eyes in mock exasperation and reached for his drink.

"Where is the tablet, Crowley?" the angel demanded to know. "Tsk, tsk" Crowley mocked "Why must you always insist on skipping pleasantries?" he asked, inching ever so slightly toward the wall, putting as much distance between him and the angel. He was trying all too hard to not draw attention to himself, or rather, to the inside of his suit, where his half of the tablet lay. The angel still appeared weary and was clearly not up to full strength, but Crowley had not been willing to risk it before and he wasn't willing to risk it now. After all, his hide was much too valuable to risk.

"Where is it?" Castiel asked again, his voice deep and authoritative, trying to intimidate him perhaps? Either way, it wasn't about to work on Crowley. "You mean _my_ half of the tablet?" Crowley asked, pointing with his drink at his chest. "As I recall, you broke the Word of God neatly in half, giving me a piece and keeping one for yourself. Now, you also kept the prophet, you took the lion's share Castiel, you dare come here and ask for more?" he asked, his eyes teasing, his voice a bit harsher. He, as inconspicuous as he was able, reached for his angel blade, but didn't call it forth just yet, he was still waiting for his cavalry, he didn't want to give the angel any reason to attack before they arrived.

"The tablet was never yours to being with, you have no right to stake a claim on the Word of God" the angel retorted, wrath behind his words. Crowley chuckled, "The tablet is not yours either, unless we are heading down that path again, eh- Godstiel?" he couldn't help himself. He would never admit that his blood ran cold when the angel began to glow, the same light show as before. His grace seemed to swell up, concentrating in his torso then spreading through his vessel's body. His eyes shone, a deep and bright blue, causing Crowley to take a step back, his back hitting the wall, and draw out his angel blade, or rather, the one he had stolen. Castiel took a step forward, looking like he was fully prepared to finish this, finish Crowley, even if it meant his end as well. Crowley held his breath, well then; he was fully prepared to fight the angel for his survival.

A loud a vicious growl was emitted near Crowley's ear. The demon breathe a silent sigh of relief at the arrival of his trusty hell hound. The thing was all teeth and claws and vicious jaws. A smile, all too unkind, spread across Crowley's now smug face when his hell hound's growl was joined by six others. Castiel's eyes left Crowley to glance around the room, at the seven hell hounds crouched protectively around the demon. Crowley's smile turned into a haughty smirk. "King of Hell, darling" he said, he couldn't help but feel satisfied when the angel's glow lessened considerably and his own angel blade slid down the sleeve of his coat. "The promotion comes with certain perks, such as a pack of hell hounds at my disposal. Growley gets a bit jealous now and then, but they have proven to be quite effective" he said. "Sic him, boys!"

Crowley stood, hands in his pockets, posture perfect, and looking at ease, at least on the outside. His own hell hound snarled, prepared to charge in with the rest. Crowley placed his right hand on its shoulders, holding it back. He could feel it tremble with anticipation, but it stayed put. "Stay" Crowley murmured, watching the remaining six hell hounds hurtle themselves at the angel. Castiel swiped at the first with his angle blade, managing to nick it on the side before whirling around and stabbing the second through its underside. The hell hounds yelped in pain as the purity of the angelic blade pierced their dark spirits, and fell to the floor, twitching and trying to regain their footing. Hell hounds fought to their last breath, they still snarled and snapped their jaws, though they were not near enough to use them on the angel.

The third hell hound aimed right for the angel's chest, slamming into him and knocking him back. Castiel stumbled, his arms rushing up to balance him. The first hell hound, which recovered quickly, launched itself at the angel once more. Its jaws locked around the vessel's left arm, swallowing up his wrist and a fraction of his forearm. The momentum behind the hell hound's leap nearly sent Castiel to the ground. He threw his right arm down, catching himself before he fell, though it was a bit awkward as he still held onto his angel blade. He knew he would be swarmed if he fell. He pushed himself up and used the slight momentum to stab his blade through the hounds shoulder. It yelped and released his arm. Castiel quickly straightened up, surveying his current situation. The six hell hounds were circling him closely, far enough from the reach of his blade, but close enough for a pounce. Castiel tightened his grip on his blade.

Castiel whirled around on his heel, stretching forward and slashing a hell hound across the cheek. He jerked the blade to the left, slicing into another hell hound, at the same time two hell hounds leaped at him, one going for his left leg, the other leaping at his throat. Castiel brought the blade up; it slid up the hell hound's jaw and came out its skull before its fangs even grazed his throat. Its fore claws still tore into his chest, however, leaving ten large gashes which were already weeping blood. The other managed to chomp down on his left thigh while he was preoccupied with protecting his throat. The large demonic hound shook its head back and forth, the harsh movement upset Castiel's balance, and the angel struggled to remain upright. The two hell hounds he's just slashed had recovered, the wounds weren't deep, it was mostly the pain that distracted them.

"Crowley." Crowley glanced up, surprised, but not showing it, at the five demons, holding the Winchesters, and the prophet, that suddenly appeared. The prophet was easily detained by one demon, the Winchesters were each held down by two, they still struggled, though it only proved more painful for them. "Kevin" Crowley greeted the boy, who defiantly held his gaze. Crowley glanced down, "Still have all our fingers, I see" he observed. Of course, the angel must have healed the boy up. Dean glared at him for less than an instant, the snarling, growling, and snapping of jaws causing his eyes to widen with fear, hardly noticeable, but there none the less. "Right, I'd almost forgotten. You have a past with hell hounds, don't you, Dean?" Crowley spoke, as if conversing about the weather. "Cas!" Dean cried, paying Crowley no heed. He struggled with renewed strength against the demons that detained him, though Crowley could see in his face, Dean knew how helpless he was. He couldn't help the angel, and the angel couldn't help him.

Castiel's eyes shifted, meeting Dean's for a fraction of an instant, before they returned to the five hell hounds around him. "Oooh, cold" Crowley murmured, smiling eyes flashing towards Dean, who didn't have the strength to glare back. The angel scanned his surroundings, eyeing each of the gaping jaws, before he quickly plunged his weapon into the skull of the hell hound attached to his leg. It was all the opening the hounds needed, with the angel's only blade embedded into their companion's skull, the angel had left himself unprotected. Castiel pulled the blade out of the hell hound's head, but was still not quick enough to dodge the flurry of attacks that fell on him. One hell hound latched onto his left shoulder, its bottom fangs crushing the shoulder blade while its top fangs crunched on the vessel's collarbone. Another went for the angel's right leg, tacking him by his calf. Castiel went down, hard. His head cracked against the cement; he managed to keep his grip on his angel blade, but appeared momentarily dazed. The remaining two circled forward, snapping their jaws at each other for the privilege of sinking their evil fangs into the vessel's soft throat.

Crowley turned to Dean, waggling his eye brows slightly. Even Sam was struggling now, eyes pinned on the angel, but Crowley's demons were prepared. "Kill them" Crowley said, simply, with little interest, he turned his attention to the prophet.

"Cas!" Dean shouted, struggling and jerking his arms, to no avail, as he watched his friend get mauled by hell hounds. He growled with frustration, unable to focus enough to form clear insults. He glanced at the demons restraining him, sparing a glance at the demon knife in the shorter male's belt, and then went limp. Both demons grunted as they suddenly found themselves supporting all of Dean's weight. Dean tensed and bounced back up, slamming his forehead into one of the demon's heads, retrieving his demon knife with the other and plunging it into the shorter male's chest, all with the same momentum. The other demon recovered quickly, tackling Dean to the ground. Dean grunted through bared teeth, slashing at the demon's face, and then stabbing it through the throat.

Crowley sighed, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose when one of the demons restraining Sam, the larger male with curly brown hair, let go of the younger Winchester to attack Dean. 'So hard to find good help these days' Crowley thought to himself. He didn't even pretend to try and help when Sam pulled free and punched his remaining 'guard' in the nose, while Dean stabbed the other through the chest, before throwing the knife at Sam, who pierced the last demon's neck with it.

Sam turned his attention to Crowley and the demon that still held Kevin captive, while Dean tried to figure out a way to help Cas. Cas was still on the ground, the hell hounds were making it impossible for him to stand. His calf was destroyed, the leg was yanked left and right as the hell hound shook its head, teeth digging ever deeper, as if it were a lion looking to tear a gazelle's leg off for its feast. Cas' shoulder wasn't fairing any better, it almost seemed as if the hell hound was trying to sweep the floor with Cas' back. Cas looked like a rag doll, his blood splattered on the cement, he was being shook too violently for him to aim at the hell hounds properly. His blade stabbed at empty air, Dean only heard one or two quiet yelps which signified the blade had at least grazed its mark. Dean had no idea how to help.

Castiel's free leg flew up, kicking the hell hound with as much angelic strength as he could muster, right in the chest. He was sure he heard a crunch before the large body flew into, as in through, the concrete wall. Now he only had three hell hounds to fend off. He was slightly aware that Dean was circling, trying to find the best place to attack, while not being able to see the hounds themselves, but he paid the human little notice. He had a job to do, to get the tablet, and he had to dispose of these hell hounds to do it. Nothing else mattered. A low whistle, which caused the hell hounds to ease up, made Castiel glance up, to where Crowley stood. He winked and jerked his head to the side. The third hell hound huffed, which sounded more like a throaty growl, and abandoned his post, stalking after Dean. 'One less to worry about' Castiel thought to himself right before the hell hound released his shoulder and bit down on his neck. He heard Dean scream.

Dean, armed with nothing but a large piece of scrap metal, had been prepared to charge into the hell hound huddle around Cas, when a growl caught his attention. He swallowed, eyes trying to focus on the hell hound he knew was now after him. He wasn't prepared when the teeth sunk into his left thigh, dragging him down. A cry of pain escaped his lips, his head slammed into the wall. He heard his brother cry his name just as the hell hound began to shake its head, tearing through the skin and muscle in Dean's leg.

"Dean!" Castiel cried, or attempted to. His neck was held at an awkward angle, his blood flowed into the hell hound's jaws, most dripped onto the floor, coating its teeth red. There was so much blood, most of it on Castiel himself. The small amount that flowed out of his nose went unnoticed, even by him. Castiel felt as if his eyes were opened, or as if he had been walking in a dream. His head hurt, and he was more than a bit confused, but he shoved all that aside. There was a hell hound attacking Dean, there was a hell hound standing much too close to Sam, and there were hell hounds tearing into his vessel's flesh. First thing was first- Dean...his eye twitched, but his body did as told. Castiel glanced at his angel blade; he was currently being shaken like a rag doll, his limbs flailing around, as if broken. He could not trust his aim to be true. That only left… Castiel released his hold on his blade and brought his palm up to the hell hound latched onto his neck. It glowed as his grace swelled and burned away the hell hound's essence. His arm fell back limply, smacking onto the concrete floor. Castiel felt more than a little drained. He did not dwell on that, however, he instead sat up, gripped both sides of the hell hound's, which was currently tearing into his leg, face and repeated the process. His wings beat at the air feebly as he stood, wobbling a bit, picked up his blade and threw it at the hell hound currently using Dean as a chew toy, the blade sunk in between its shoulder blades and came out through its chest.

The hell hound cried out before slumping to the ground, its jaws went slack, but its teeth remained embedded in Dean's thigh. He pried its jaws open and shoved it off. His leg was bleeding profusely, but he'd live. Dean glanced up at Cas, the angel wobbled, his coat was dirty and blood stain, torn in some places and completely shredded in others. His shirt was torn and bloodied, his neck had clear fang puncture wounds, his right leg didn't seem like it should be able to hold his weight, the calf destroyed, his right thigh was bleeding, and his left shoulder, from his collar bone to his shoulder blade, appeared shredded. And yet, the angel stood.

Sam didn't glance back to check on Dean, he knew his brother had gone to help Cas, or that Dean would at least try to help Cas. He kept his attention on Crowley, Kevin, and the demon that detained the young prophet. Kevin's eyes were wide, his chest heaving with breaths that were just a bit too quick, but Sam knew the kid was tougher than he looked. He focused on the demon, knife in hand. The demon smirked, he let go Kevin, shoving the boy in Crowley's direction, and stepped toward Sam. Sam's lip twitched up in his own smile, one on one with a demon? Those odds weren't half bad. It was Dean's cry of pain that stopped him. He shot a glance over his shoulder. "Dean!" he shouted, heart racing at the sight of his brother on the ground, blood spurting from his thigh, as his leg was yanked back and forth. Dean was grimacing, jaw clenched in pain. The distraction was all the demon needed to tackle Sam to the ground, punching him in the face. Sam's nose broke with a sickening crunch; blood began to run down, coating his lips.

Crowley turned to take a hold of Kevin; he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He was completely taken by surprise when the quivering boy tackled him, so much that he stumbled back. He grasped Kevin's arms, with enough force to leave bruises, and held the squirming prophet at arm's length, his face more than irritated. A grey slab of stone caught his eye. The prophet cradled Crowley's half of the tablet in his arms, gripping it tightly and hugging it to his chest. Crowley's eyes narrowed, "Neat trick" he said. "Now, I don't suppose you'll have any trouble finding the other half, will you?" he said, his grip on the prophet tightening. Kevin's eyes were wide, but he didn't wince nor cry out from the obvious discomfort.

Sam raked at the air with the knife, slashing the demon across the cheek. He pulled back with pain, ever so slightly, and Sam stabbed it into his hand, before ramming it up his jaw. The demon cried out before going slack, and Sam pushed him off. Crowley's eyes slid his way, he was practically alone now. He knew when it was time to disappear. He turned back to Kevin, fully intent on bringing the prophet with him, and received a splash of holy water to the face. He let go of Kevin, his hands going up to his face and curled into himself ever so slightly.

Kevin dropped the bottle with holy water, once again gripping the tablet with both hands. He heard a loud and menacing growl and stiffened, eyes wide with fear, it sounded like the growl had come from something that was eye-level, large scratches on the floor signaled its approach. "Growley, no!" Crowley shouted. A low and almost questioning whine reached Kevin's ears. He sighed a breath of relief when the loud breathing and horrible growling began to make its way towards Crowley, who was straightening up.

Crowley blinked a few times, the burn of the holy water fading away. He faced Kevin, who hugged the tablet like a life line. His eyes flashed to the side, were Sam was standing up, knife in hand, behind him, Dean was standing up, Castiel beside him. All his demons were gone, only Growley remained. A low whine came from the wall, where his last hell hound was crawling out of. 'And him' Crowley thought to himself. The hell hound shook, like a wet dog, before resuming its snarling, facing Dean and the angel. Castiel narrowed his eyes, his hand twitched, and his discarded angel blade appeared once more. He drew his arm back and threw it. It flew over the smaller hell hound, lodging itself in Growley's side, who yelped, baring his fangs in pain. 'Time to go' Crowley thought. He straightened his suit and snapped his fingers, disappearing.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Dean shouted, glaring at the spot Crowley had occupied only seconds before. He looked furious. Nevertheless, he slowly eased himself to the floor, taking care of his wounded leg, which he stretched out in front of him. Cas stood at his side, his blood dripping and splattering on the floor below. Kevin slowly inched toward Sam, he was holding the tablet so tightly Sam was sure his arms would cramp, or at least be sore later. As for himself, Sam had a few minor injuries besides his broken nose. Kevin was shaken, but appeared okay.

Dean was inspecting his leg, once again coming to the conclusion that he'd live, though he really should be finding something to stop the bleeding. He glanced up at Cas, who was staring at the place Crowley and the two or three or whatever number of hell hounds left had disappeared. "Cas, what the hell?!" Dean growled, something short of fury seeping into his voice. The angel blinked and glanced down at him, gazing at him curiously, head slightly tilted. Dean narrowed his eyes, so irritated, so angry, so scared, that the sight of Cas looking at him like that, as if nothing was wrong, as if he were innocently unaware he could have been _killed_, like the Cas before Purgatory, before the Leviathans, before Crowley, while drenched in his own blood only fueled his anger toward the angel. "I thought you were supposed to come straight to us? We got ambushed by seven demons Cas! They could've taken Kevin! Crowley could have forced Kevin to take him to the other half of the tablet! Garth and his mom could be dead by now- and for what? So you could take on Crowley yourself? So you could prove something, settle a score- _what_?!" he shouted, voice forceful enough to cause Kevin to flinch, though neither his gaze nor words were directed at him.

"Dean" Sam said softly, leaning forward as if to move between the angel and the hunter. "No Sam!" Dean growled, his glare focusing on his brother. "We had a mission, we had a _plan_, Cas could've sent it down the drain, getting us all killed in the process!" he said, wrath now focusing on Sam, who could only retaliate with his puppy eyes, expression looking hurt. "He found Crowley" he said softly, trying to calm his brother. "We could've done that!" Dean retorted. Truth was, he'd been scared, it had seemed as if the hell hounds were going to tear Cas to pieces, right before his eyes, with him not being able to do a damn thing. He thought he was going to be forced to watch Cas die, yet again. This was the only way he knew how to vent out that worry, that fear, and so he did.

Sam opened his mouth, as if to say something else, but quickly closed it. It was best to just let Dean get this off his chest. He glanced at Cas, he truly hoped the angel wasn't taking any of this to heart, but he was staring into space, in the direction Crowley had last been seen, his expression was oddly blank. Sam blinked and quickly looked at something else; he tried not to think of how that blank look freaked him out. Cas was just being awkward Cas, nothing else, and certainly nothing to dwell on.

Dean groaned, eyes sliding down to his bleeding thigh. This was truly hospital worthy, though hunters generally avoided hospitals whenever possible. Cas blinked, glancing down at him. He reached over with two fingers, pressing them to his forehead. Instantly the pain was gone. When Dean glanced back at his leg, it was completely healed, the blood gone, and his jeans were no longer torn. 'Right' he thought 'Angel for a best friend.' He glanced back up at Cas in time to see him reach toward his forehead once more. Dean closed his eyes. In a sound of fluttering wings he was back by his car, his back pressed against it. He opened his eyes, but Cas was already gone. He stood up, glancing around for danger, nearly missing the droplets of blood the angel had left behind.

Sam came next, nose no longer broken and blood no longer smeared on his face. He opened his eyes, blinking from the bright sunlight. Lastly Cas returned with Kevin, his minor injuries gone, though his hold on the tablet remained the same- it was crushed to his chest. Cas leaned on the Impala, hand placed on its roof for balance. He took a deep breath, as if to steady himself, or for strength. In the next blink of an eye, he was healed. His eye lids were half lowered, his eyes looking like they wanted to roll into his skull. "Whoa, whoa, hey, Cas" Dean said, the rage gone from his voice as he stepped forward and put a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Yes, I'm fine, Dean" Cas said, stepping away from the car. Dean kept his hand on Cas' shoulder, as if to steady him or catch him if he faltered or fell. "Okay then" he said.

They piled into the impala, Dean was driving, Sam had shotgun, and Kevin sat to the far left, head resting just before the window, gazing out, the tablet hugged to his chest. Cas sat on the far right, his head resting where the window met the roof, eyes closed. Everyone knew he wasn't sleeping, angels didn't sleep, Sam was sure this was just Cas' way of regaining his strength. He barely moved, only his chest, rising and falling to a steady rhythm, indicated the angel was still alive. They drove in silence for a long time, they had quite a ways to go before they reached Garth's safe house boat, or rather, before they reached the closest they could get before they had to get Cas to fly them the rest of the way.

"No" Kevin gasped, making everyone [minus Cas] jump, though the word had been uttered softly. Dean blamed it on the quiet inside the car, he hadn't even played one of his cassette tapes. "What, what is it?" Dean asked, glancing at Kevin through the rear view mirror. The young prophet was glancing at something on his lap. Upon shifting in his seat, Dean realized it was the tablet. "What?" he asked once more. "Crowley… he" Kevin said, trailing off once more. "Spit it out Kevin!" Dean nearly shouted, his patience waning. "This isn't the entire tablet… I mean… my piece isn't broken like this. Crowley broke it again" he said, his fingers tracing the jagged lines at its edge. Cas' eye lids flew open, exposing the piercing blue orbs hidden beneath. His intense gaze reminded Dean of a hawk. Kevin glanced up, his eyes meeting Dean's in the rear view mirror. "I… I can't translate anything with this huge chuck broken off!" he said.

"It's fine Kevin" Sam reassured the boy, who nodded numbly. Dean wondered just how strong the tablet's pull was on the prophet. "We'll get it back" Sam said. "Yeah, we will, ain't that right Cas?" Dean said, eyes sliding to the right side of the car, to where Cas sat, staring out the window. "Cas!" he shouted when the angel disappeared. He turned around in his seat, though even the sound of beating wings had faded away. Sam jumped up, taking a hold on the wheel. "Damn it!" Dean shouted, turning back around and slamming down on the brake. The car screeched to a halt. Dean sat, rigged and breathing hard, in his seat, eyes fixed straight ahead. "Cas, you son-of-a-bitch! What the hell?" Dean shouted, smacking the wheel in a burst of anger. He knew, just as Sam and perhaps even Kevin knew, that Cas had gone after Crowley, alone.

**[That felt entirely to rushed to me, too much going on for one chapter, kinda feel like this should have been 2 seperate chapters... Oh well! I hope you guys liked it! ^-^ ]**


	4. Lonely Little Angel

***************Disclaimer* _I own nothing of Supernatural...this is purely fan-made... _**

**Chapter Four**

Naomi sat at her desk, eyes closed, fingers resting lightly on her temples. She replayed the scenes from the other day over and over in her mind; she didn't know if it had worked or not. She remembered slicing through Castiel's grace, getting into the even brighter being within. She remembered Castiel's struggles, remembered noticing she couldn't _hear_ him. He was blocking her, blocking the entire Host out. No wonder Castiel appeared so weak; he was pretty much blocking all of Heaven out. His mind was closed off to angels… Naomi couldn't understand, what angel would _choose_ to block out his siblings? All angels were born connected to the Host; you didn't have to be in Heaven to hear your orders, your new missions, or the on goings on Earth. Castiel's mind was silent, by _choice_. For a moment Naomi had wondered how her little brother didn't go mad, and then she remembered… he already had. He'd been poisoned by emotions, by doubt, by free will. Well, not anymore! Naomi pushed against Castiel's wall, trying to reconnect him to the Host, or at least to her. For a moment, her brother fought back, and then the pain of the procedure he was undergoing took its toll. Naomi fought the chinks in his armor and shoved with all her grace, finally able to enter her little brother's mind.

_'Don't fight back Castiel' Naomi said in enochian. 'Let me help you, you're not well little brother.' Castiel fought back against the needle, against the pain. 'Naomi, please' Castiel answered back. Naomi let a small, triumphant smile curve her lips upward when her brother not only responded in enochian, but through their connection, instead of out loud. 'You are not well, you _think_ Castiel, and you_ feel_, two things an angel should never experience. Lucifer thought, Lucifer fell. You don't have to be Lucifer, Castiel' Naomi continued with her babble and thoughts, trying to distract her little brother from the pain. 'You will kill Benny; you will put the Winchesters back on track. Heaven is not done with them yet. You will find the tablet, you will stop Crowley, you will protect the prophet, you will recover the translations' Naomi repeated again and again, both to her sibling and herself. Castiel's wide eyes locked on hers. 'The tablet is of main concern, nothing else matters. The demons must not get its translation. Crowley must not find the other tablets. The Winchesters must not get distracted. The prophet must be kept safe' Naomi continued. _

_'No, no, no' Castiel retorted, though his voice was softer and lost in Naomi's ramble. Naomi narrowed her eyes, digging the needle in deeper, scraping more. She felt a shadow of Castiel's pain though their link, she embraced it. 'I'm trying to help you Castiel' she continued, over lapping her continuous babble on Castiel's mission. 'You shouldn't feel, you shouldn't think, angels are warriors of God. Angels are soldiers. You were such a good soldier Castiel, you led your garrison honorably. To think is to fall. Emotions are abominations. Our lives are only to serve Heaven, given up for the case if they must. You are a solider. You are a warrior of God. Angels do not doubt. Emotions bring suffering.' At this Naomi thought back to all the destructions Castiel caused in Heaven, all the angels he destroyed, all the angels lost in his Civil War. Her thoughts also flowed through the connection. She felt Castiel shudder, though this time it was from the weight of his guilt, not the pain. 'Did you not learn from the humans? Emotions bring pain, suffering, doubt, war. You did not cause that devastation, Castiel, your emotions did. Let them go… Let them go Castiel. Our lives are so simple… We serve Heaven, we serve God, we follow orders. There is no pain, no fear, no doubt… no _guilt. _Come home, Castiel, return to your family. You don't have to be an abomination. You don't have to suffer. You don't have to be like Lucifer.'_

_At the same time, Naomi's own thoughts leaked though. Samandriel hadn't been heard of in a long time, his garrison was becoming upset. If Crowley found out about the other tablets, would he reach them before Heaven? What if he found the tablet on angels? Was Samandriel dead? Why did he not response to his garrison's call? Would the prophet come willingly? Would he fight against them? Would the Winchesters stand in their way? It wasn't like Samandriel to disappear… He had to be found. What if Crowley killed Kevin? Would the succeeding prophet require as much persuasion as the current? Or would Crowley just have to promise a land full of riches to receive all the tablet had to offer? Heaven couldn't afford to lose more angels. Where was Samandriel? What was Crowley planning now? He had to be stopped. Heaven had lost too much , received too many blows. Samandriel might be dead. _

_Naomi could feel Castiel shudder again, both physically and mentally. He was exhausted, from fighting, from the pain, and from his own guilt, which he carried around everywhere. He was hanging on by the tips of his fingers, he was ready to let go. Naomi kept up her verbal assaults, of the horrors of free will, of his orders, and even of scenes from the devastation Castiel had caused do to free will, as she carved neatly into Castiel, the needle slicing through the brilliant being with ease._

Naomi sighed, Castiel had then gone completely still. She had briefly wondered if it was working. Castiel stared straight at her, his eye twitching, and then closing both his eyes. Naomi had watched his twitching wings stiffen. Castiel had open his eyes, they had glowed a bright blue, startling Naomi. She knew now that, more than anything, Castiel had been reacting to the pain. He wouldn't have gotten away but… every time Father brought Castiel back; it seemed the little angel got a new upgrade. His newest ability, the ability to grow and swell up his grace in a moment of need- to the point where it shone through his vessel, leaking out of his eyes and entire body, making him glow- did not come without a price, but it was enough for Castiel to break free, and escape. Naomi could only hope she'd done her job. She wanted to call Castiel, check up on him, but she was worried he'd remember. She'd give it a moment longer, she had other things to tend to anyways, then she'd call Castiel and she'd see for herself if her little procedure had worked.

"That stupid son-of-a-bitch!" Dean hit the steering wheel again. His heart was hammering in his chest, his breathing was hard and fast- he wanted to punch someone. '_Cas? Cas, come back here right now! Cas? You hearing me? Cas? Cas! Cas, you child!_' "Dean, calm down" Sam said, placing his hand comfortingly, or in what meant to be a comforting gesture, on his shoulder. Dean shrugged him off. "He's gone after Crowley, Sam" he retorted, turning around to glare at his brother. Sam gazed back, nothing but sympathy in his own expressive and ever gentle eyes. "I know" he said. "He's going to get himself killed!" Dean added, still shouting. The fact that Sam appeared so calm only served to agitate him more. "You don't know that" Sam said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. Dean's nostrils flared, but he said nothing else.

"Now, come on" Sam said, letting go of Dean's shoulder "We have another half of the tablet, we should be getting it to Garth's… and getting Kevin back to his mom" he said, slowly, softly. That didn't stop Dean from stiffening. "What?" he asked slowly, turning to face his brother once more. "Sam, Cas just went after Crowley, _alone_, after nearly getting torn apart by hell hounds" he said. "Yes, Dean, I know, I was _there_! And I'm worried about him too, you think I'm not? But the fact remains we have a piece of the tablet, which we can't let fall into the hands of demons again… we have a prophet, who we promised to keep safe, and have no angel as back-up in case Crowley decides to send a horde of demons after us.. We have _no idea_ where Cas flew off to, or where Crowley is, or the other piece of the tablet. We only have our half of the tablet, and Kevin. They're here, in the car, and _we_ are the _only_ ones who can keep them _safe_. We have to get to Garth's. We can try to track Crowley, or find Cas, from there" Sam practically barked back, causing Dean's mouth to snap shut. The worst part was Dean knew Sam was right; he just didn't want to acknowledge it. His gaze flickered, to the rear view mirror, spotting Kevin in the back seat, to the windshield. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam's gaze soften once more. "We'll find him, okay?" his brother reassured, placing his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezing. Dean just nodded numbly, the fight gone from him, and he eased the car into drive. He had a job to do, keep Kevin safe, keep the tablet from the demons, close the Gates of Hell, and he was going to do it. And if he got when he got Cas back, he was going to punch him, right across the jaw. He didn't care if it broke his hand… Cas could heal that anyways. '_Please Cas, just_… _be okay._'

Growley nudged Crowley's hand, making the demon smirk as he was pulled from his thoughts. He gave his hell hound an absent minded pat on its head, which it had lowered in order to nuzzle his palm. There it was. The last piece of the tablet in his possession. Crowley gave himself a small pat on the back for thinking of breaking his half once more after he escaped from Castiel, the first time. He'd taken a huge, triangular chuck out the middle, the prophet wouldn't be able to translate the Word of God without first acquiring his piece, and when he came looking for it, Crowley would be ready. He'd have to get himself a new pack first… a bigger one. He only had Growley now. The only other hell hound to survive the attack on the angel had died shortly after arriving at their destination. Crowley hadn't even known hell hounds could die from their wounds… He chuckled humorlessly, at least he'd gotten Castiel's angel blade out of the whole ordeal. Now he had two. A small whimper drew his attention. That reminded him…

Samandriel groaned, slowly opening his eyes, then blinking a few times. "Ah, so he wakes" the demon, Crowley, said, sauntering forward like royalty. 'Right' he thought, trying not to wince too much 'That's what he believes himself to be.' "I was never asleep" he replied. "Angles don't sleep." Crowley rolled his eyes. Truth was, Samandriel had been trying to strengthen himself, to allow his grace to heal him, to find enough power, just enough to contact Heaven, or at least his garrison…any sibling out there. He'd found all this to be impossible. Crowley's sigils blocked out most of his power, locked him in here, and locked other angels out. He's contact with his siblings, both those in Heaven, and those on earth, had been severed. His healing was near nonexistent. He was so tired... "I've been thinking" the demon said, as he walked around the chair that Samamdriel was strapped to, "About the other tablets." He continued to circle; Samandriel followed him with his eyes. "There must be so many, one for every monster out there… perhaps even one for humans… and…one for angels…" the demon trailed off. Samandriel tried not to panic. He didn't want to speak, but the pain of the angel blade was too much, it not only had the ability to cut through his vessel, but his grace, and even himself as well, the brilliant celestial being crammed inside this small human creature. There wasn't a pain in the world that could compare.

"As much as I want to get my hands on the Demon Tablet, because, let's face it, it probably has some juicy details that no one's ever dreamed of… I can't help but get curious as to what the Angel Tablet might hold…" Crowley conversed. "I don't know anything!" Samandriel cried out, unable to help himself. "Oh" Crowley said, stopping and turning to him with a smile "But I think you might" he said. Samandriel tried to calm his breathing as the demon came closer "But I don't… I don't! They can only be read by the prophet… I couldn't possibly know anything!" he said, his body beginning to quake. He couldn't even get out of his restraints; they had enochian sigils carved into them. "I don't know anything…" he mumbled, his head dropping low. He was _too_ tired... "Hmm…" Crowley mused, stepping away. Samandriel tried hard not to breathe a sigh of relief. "You might not know much about the tablets, but I'm willing to bet you know as much about your species as I do about mine" he continued. Samandriel stiffened, closing his eyes tight. He tried to mentally prepare himself for the maul of the blade, the piercing pain, the shattering feeling when it sliced into his grace. He couldn't help but wonder if a stronger angel wouldn't have broken, if some of his elder siblings would have endured the pain. Here he was, a soldier from the moment of his creation, a warrior of God, reduced to trembling and whimpering, fearing a cross roads demon that believed itself to be a king. If his garrison could see him now… they'd likely leave him there.

"Now… you're going to cooperate, aren't you?" Crowley said, twirling his fingers, an angel blade appearing between them. He fastened his grip on the handle. The angel's eyes left his, trailing toward the blade without the angel's consent. He gasped, jerking back, wincing when the movement jarred his wounds. "Where did you get that?" he cried, eyes wide and fixed on the blade, the torture momentarily forgotten. "What?" Crowley asked, confused and a bit irritated that the angel wasn't shaking in its meat-suit. "That blade" the angel responded. The 'his blade' remained unspoken, it only took Crowley a moment to understand. All angel blades looked the same to him, but he knew angels didn't trade them around, each angel had their own, and that blade was theirs till they died. Crowley glanced down at the blade, it looked just like the one he had stolen from Samandriel… apparently Crowley had called forth Castiel's instead.

"Oh, this?" he said, stepping forward once more. "You like it?" Crowley asked, smiling a devious smile. "It's Castiel's" the angel responded, as if he hadn't heard Crowley. He seemed transfixed by the blade, his voice oddly flat. Crowley scowled. "Yes well, won't do him much good now" Crowley muttered. The angel flinched, as if he had been slapped. His eyes finally trained back on Crowley. "No" was all he said, "How did you get it? Castiel is…" he trailed off. Crowley didn't miss the small gleam of hope in his eyes. He smiled inwardly; this little angel was too much fun. Collecting himself, he straightened up, voice indifferent. "Still in Purgatory? No, afraid not darling. Got out some time ago" he said. Again, that small flare of hope in the angel's eye, Crowley couldn't be sure if the angel wanted to believe his sibling was alive, or if he still hoped to be rescued. "He won't be coming for you mate" he said, smiling with mock warmth. "Came after me solo… wasn't a match for my hell hounds… Did leave me this though" he said, waving the silver blade in the air.

"No" the angel repeated, even shaking his head slightly. "No… only an angel can-" "Kill an angel? I'm sorry darling, but you've been misinformed" Crowley interrupted. The angel glared up at him, defiance in his features. Oh, it was all the more fun to break them when they believed they'd rebuilt themselves, that they'd found strength. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes" Crowley said, his arm darting forward and stabbing the angel. The angel jerked, going ridged, before letting out a blood curling scream. Crowley yanked the blade back out. The angel sank back into his chair, whimpering softly. "Come now" Crowley said "No need for such a fuss." The angel opened his eyes and glared up at him for a moment, though he kept his head bowed from exhaustion, until his eyes drooped once more.

"Seriously… I should know… I tortured every creature… every Alpha… I could get my hands on to reach Purgatory… none of them made as much of a fuss as you… I think you'd even make Dean Winchester proud… Dean Winchester, the man who broke in thirty, while his father didn't break in the entire year, over a century in Hell... you take the prize kid" Crowley said, watching the angel [attempt to] compose himself, straighten up, raise his head, and look him in the eye once more. "You don't know true pain" he said, blood dripping out his split lip and down his chin, mixing with the dried blood that ran from his temple. "I see…" Crowley responded, glancing back down at his stolen angel blade. "Do they feel the same? Getting stabbed by your own blade, or another's? Or does an opponent's blade yield more damage?" he asked, truly curious. The angel didn't answer; he only slumped into his chair once more. "That was a direct question" Crowley said, stabbing the angel, and twisting this time. The angel went ridge and screamed, shutting his eyes tightly. "And I expect and answer."

Okay, so he was in a bad mood. Nothing more than was to be expected, considering he'd once again been forced to run from the very same angel who'd betrayed him, who'd tried to rule him when he decided he was God. The little angel in the chair proved to be a good punching bag. Or, well, stabbing bag. Not that Crowley was just torturing the angel for fun, not really. He truly did have questions, and he did ask them. The most important ones, however, where the ones Samandriel could not answer. How was Castiel back, yet again? Was he really stronger? How? And… how much stronger? Or was that light show really just that, a light show? Like a moth or butterfly extending its oddly colored wings in order to appear bigger and thus be left alone. How had the angel found him again? And…And what was with his eyes?

Crowley paced away from the trembling angel, deep in thought. Not the light show… the emotion… or... lack thereof. He had teased Dean when Castiel ignored him, and the demons surrounding him and Growley snarling not two feet away…but it wasn't like the angel to ignore the Winchesters, in all truth Crowley had feared the angel would launch himself at him at first sight of the boys in peril. And yet, he hadn't. He hadn't given priority to the hell hounds surrounding him, he hadn't trusted the Winchesters to take care of themselves, and it wasn't even that he hadn't cared… it had been nothing. No emotion…there was hardly recognition. The angel had acknowledged there were more demons in the room, and humans, then had gone back to his task of defeating the hell hounds. Mechanical almost… Like…like… "Like an angel" Crowley murmured to himself. He hardly noticed Samandriel, who twitched but decided to remain slumped, not caring enough of what the demon mused about. It was a silly thought, really, but…

Crowley paced away from the slumped angel, twirling Castiel's blade in his hand. He glanced at it, at how the light shone of its silvery surface. He might not be that old of a demon, but he certainly was old enough to remember the angels as they were before Lucifer's rising. Before emotions, thought, doubt, and free will became popular, he remembered when angels were warriors of God, and nothing more. A soldier, expendable, focused, following orders and _nothing_ more. That, or a glimpse of that, was what he had seen when Castiel's eyes had glanced, for the briefest moment, toward the three captured humans. A soldier. A warrior of God, doing his duty, following orders, with nothing else mattering. No fear, a good soldier didn't fear death, as his life did not matter in the overall scheme of life, and no emotion. Crowley blinked, and then began twirling the blade once more, watching the dim light bounce off its surface. What if…

The demon had made one mistake, even if it was not entirely his own mistake; it had been made all the same. Angels were created with one blade, one blade to wield in battle, one blade to wield against their own brethren. An angel could only call forth his own blade. If an angel died, his blade could be taken, but it would never truly belong to anyone else. If the angel was not dead, then he could always find his blade, it was after all, his and connected to him. Crowley had taken his blade, had left it embedded in the hell hound in his rush to escape. Castiel could no longer call it back, which meant, where ever it was, it was behind angel sigils. He could still follow its trail, a trail which no human could ever see, until the point in which it disappeared from his senses. The point when the hell hound crossed into the protection of Crowley's sigils. Still, the search had been narrowed, all Castiel now had to find was the place he could not access, and he'd find his blade, Crowley, and the tablet.

Samandriel's lip trembled, his eyes stared at the floor, as if begging it to help him, since none of his siblings could hear his cries, perhaps the floor, stained with his vessel's blood, would take pity on him. Crowley couldn't help but think the little angel reminded him of a child, innocent, naive, weak…and yet it was a warrior of Heaven that he had bound. The angel had begun to refuse to answer Crowley's questions, as they had become more personal, about angels, Heaven, and weaknesses, specifically theirs. The angel had pressed his lips together and stared at Crowley with defiance. So the solider had finally made an appearance. The tablet was one thing, but to threaten the Host of Heaven, his family, was entirely different, it seemed. Crowley had pressed his lips together, not impressed, but the angel had proved resilient. He'd screamed and thrashed, as if to distract himself from the pain, perhaps with the impossible hope of escaping, or being heard and rescued. When that stopped working, he'd shrieked that he knew nothing. "Then how can I… acquire someone who will know?" Crowley had asked. Again the angel raised his exhausted head to stare Crowley dead in the eye. He might have begun to doubt his torturing technics, had the angel's gaze not wavered, had his lip not trembled. Crowley smiled softly to himself. "Well, then" he said, lifting the blade once more.

Growley snarled, a deep and menacing sound, from deep within its throat. Crowley turned to look at it in time to see his hell hound stand up, body tense, legs held stiff and straight, with its hackled raised. It glared at the wall, lips curled up in a snarl. "What?" Crowley asked, lowering his blade slightly. Samandriel slouched in his chair, gratefully taking the second of peace to rest. Growley only snarled louder, its claws scratching up the concrete floor.

"Sir!" a demon came racing forth, eyes wide. Growley twitched an ear in his direction, the only indication that it noticed the other's presence. "What?!" Crowley asked sharply, causing the demon to flinch. "He's here, the angel… Castiel" the last word was whispered, as if in fear that the angel would appear to smite them all if he heard his name called out loud. Crowley smiled humorlessly "He can't get in here" he said, his tone leaving the unspoken 'moron' hanging in the air, precautions had been taken, the entire building had been covered in sigils, not just the ones that held Samandriel. The demon shuffled his feet nervously, ducking his head and excusing himself when Crowley narrowed his eyes in irritation. 'Moron' Crowley thought with distain, turning to face Samandriel once more. The angel greeted him with a weak smile, that gleam of hope was back in his eye; Crowley found it a lot more irritating this time. "You're right" he said, his voice trembling, yet it somehow still holding strength, something only a being as powerful as an angel could pull off. "He's not coming for me… he's already here" the angel continued "Mate" the last word punctuated with a trembling yet relief filled smile, which reeked of faith. Crowley stabbed him once more. The angel's cries were oddly unsatisfying.

**[This was turning to long, so I had to cut it in half... this seemed like the best place to do it... sorry. ^_^ Anyways, comments are alwayss appreciated, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.]**


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